Under the lights at Perry Stadium, the Bowling Green State University football team is going to be
put to the test Thursday.The Falcons host Tulsa in the season-opener with kickoff at 7 p.m.Tulsa went 11-3
last season, winning the Conference USA championship and beating Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl. In 2012,
the Falcons were 8-5, including a loss to San Jose State in the Military Bowl.‘‘It’s to the point now that
they’re not a good team, they’re a really good program,’’ BG head coach Dave Clawson said about the Golden
Hurricane. ‘‘We have respect for Tulsa as a great program … I think people who come out are going to see
two very good football teams go at it in an opening game. We’re certainly going to be challenged out of the
gate.‘‘Our guys are not intimidated by it, they’re excited about it,’’ Clawson added.The Falcons last played
Tulsa in 2010, losing 33-20 in Oklahoma.At that time the Golden Hurricane had a lot of offensive
speed.‘‘They are a more physical football team now. You see them doing a lot more run plays. They averaged
over 200 yards (a game) in rushing offense last season,’’ said BG’s Paul Swan, a fifth-year senior
linebacker, who saw some playing time against Tulsa in 2010.‘‘That’s something that we really have to focus
on and we really have to stop,’’ Swan added about TU’s running attack. ‘‘We’ve been working hard at it and
we think we have some ways to do that.’’It’s been under third-year head coach Bill Blankenship that Tulsa
has developed a strong running attack behind a physical offensive line, while still having good wide-outs
and a passing attack.‘‘There is a much more physical element and dimension to what they are doing,’’ Clawson
said.Leading the way for Tulsa are tailbacks Trey Watts and Ja’terian Douglas. Clawson called both backs NFL
prospects.Watts, the son of former Oklahoma standout J.C. Watts, was a walk-on who has developed into one of
the top backs in the nation. A 5-foot-11, 200 pounds senior, Watts rushed for 1,108 yards on 186 carries
last season. He’s also a top kick returner.Douglas, a 5-11, 199 senior, rushed for 936 yards and seven
scores last season.The running attack also features quarterback Cody Green, a 6-4, 245 senior, who is a
transfer from Nebraska. He started 13 games for Tulsa in 2013, going 10-3.‘‘Green, he could play tight end
or offensive tackle for us; he’s a load,’’ Clawson said.Green ran for 283 yards and four scores a year
ago.‘‘They do things with their zone read game and their power read game that it almost becomes a three-back
offense,’’ Clawson said. ‘‘They knock people off the football. Once they get it going and they start running
it on you, they have some backs that can make people miss.’’Cook can also throw the ball, completing 54.4
percent of his passes last season for 2,592 yards and 17 touchdowns.Keyarris Garrett, a 6-4, 221 junior, is
one of the top receivers in the country. He made 67 catches for 845 yards and nine TDs in 2012.‘‘They
certainly have the personnel that they can throw it for 400 yards a game,’’ Clawson said.Defensively, the
Golden Hurricane return only two starters.‘‘They were a top 25, top 30 defense a year ago,’’ Clawson said.
‘‘When you win 11 games, win a championship and a bowl game, you are good everywhere. You just can’t do that
on one side of the ball.’’Shawn Jackson, a 6-2, 255 senior linebacker, is the leader of the defense. He
enters the 2013 season needing two sacks to tie the school record of 20, and three tackles for losses to tie
the school record of 40. Jackson has 18 career sacks for minus-118 yards, and 37 tackles for losses for
minus-162 yards.‘‘It’s an awesome opportunity for us. It’s an opportunity to get our name out in the
headlines, if you do great in the game and win it,’’ Swan said. ‘‘It’s going to be a tough task.‘‘They’re a
great team, but we feel like we have a pretty good team too and we’re doing all the right things to go in
the right direction.’’